1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to low pin testing devices and more specifically it relates to a low pin testing system for efficiently detecting unlocked terminals within an electrical connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
When manufacturing a wire harness, it is important that there are no unlocked terminals (referred to as “low pins”) within the electrical connectors. An unlocked terminal within an electrical connector may pass conventional continuity testing and may even work initially within the end application. However, an unlocked terminal will eventually move out of contact with its mate due to shipping, handling, vibration or other force. When an unlocked terminal moves out of contact with its mate, this not only causes a breakdown of the machinery that the connector is used within but also requires expensive and time consuming debugging to determine the cause of the problem.
While conventional continuity testers may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for efficiently detecting unlocked terminals within an electrical connector. Conventional continuity testers utilize electrical continuity to test for unlocked terminals which can result in unlocked terminals passing the continuity test and failing later in the end application.
In these respects, the low pin testing system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of efficiently detecting unlocked terminals within an electrical connector.